The new year is starting out with a bang for a lot of people, including myself. For me it is mostly because I had such a great holiday week.

In November, my dad called me to say that as mine and my mom’s Christmas present he was paying for my plane ticket back home for the holidays. Tickets were not cheap and I just couldn’t pay for it myself so I was very excited. We decided to keep it a surprise from the rest of the family. Which we did manage to do but my dad did tell my uncle the week before I got there, it must have been during happy hour.

The night before I left JS and I celebrated the holidays. It was a low-key night of staying in with Chinese food, gifts and watching movies. It was also the second time we have hung out since October when he told me we should just be friends. It was a good night.

I flew out on Christmas Eve and headed for the Midwest. My parents and my 9-year-old nephew came to the airport to pick me up. My nephew was surprised as he also didn’t know I was coming. We made our way to my older brother’s house for our family celebration. When we got there my younger brother was so excited to see me he was crying. Everyone was so shocked and excited to see me there especially since I threw them off the track the day before saying I would Skype with them again this year. The day was filled with kids, great food and my amazing family.

Christmas Day my parents and I headed to the bar to watch the Packer game. While we were there, I met someone who I saw again on New Years Eve (more about that later). New Years Eve my brothers and I went out with my parents, no little kids allowed. It was a great night and my parents were so happy to have their children together and go out with them.

Since the man was sick on Monday we planned a date for Thursday night. In planning our date, I suggested a sleepover and he said it would be a good idea. I was excited after three months of dating we were having our first sleepover. (As I have said before we are taking things very slow. )

He was bringing over stuff to make pancakes for dinner (yes we love breakfast for dinner), the DVDs I got him for his birthday and Christmas, as well as my Christmas gifts. When he showed up he had boxes and his overnight bag. He started making the pancakes and as we were eating he handed me my presents and I loved them all. After dinner we cuddled on the bed and watched the DVDs. As the night went on we got intimate with each other and were having a great night.

Then it got late and we figured we should get some sleep. He had to take out his contacts and when looking for his contact stuff and glasses he realized he left them at home. Since he can’t see without either he had to go home. Granted we did get to spend a lot of time together, I just was a little down. I was looking forward to waking up next to him. He did apologize and I could tell he felt bad. He even said he was looking forward to the morning as well. As he was leaving he left the stuff to make the pancakes as well as some mail he brought over. When he got home he texted me and I let him know that he left his stuff here. He said he would be back in the near future to get them. We texted a bit the next morning and wished each other happy new year.

No we did not spend the holiday together. A couple of days before I had suggested we do something for New Years Eve but he told me he was going to be going to various friends’ houses and we didn’t talk about it again.

Though I was a little down about him having to leave the night of our sleepover and not spending the new years together, it confirmed even more that I need to take things slow with this one. Not sure what will happen in the new year but I have a feeling it will be good.

It is Christmas Eve and I am sitting at home doing a Redbox movie marathon and ION television is doing a Criminal Minds marathon starting at 3pm. (Spending the afternoon with my chocolate boyfriend Shemar Moore. He came in all the time where I used to work and is the nicest guy.)

No I am not spending the holidays with the new man. I didn’t really force the issue since he seems like someone who like me needs to take things slow. Next week we will have been dating three months and at times it has been hard for me to get used to his schedule and him just wanting to relax at home by himself. My mom said “You are used to M’s schedule so why aren’t you okay with the man’s schedule”. My response to her was, “That is because I know nothing more is going to happen with M, this new man there is a possibility of something more”. This past Monday we celebrated his birthday (his birthday is Christmas day). I went all out baking a cake, getting his presents and also the champagne he wanted. I gave him his gifts and since they were a popular tv show we popped them into the DVD player and enjoyed the evening. And again like the week before things were even more passionate than they had been before. Things were different in a good way and I had a feeling it was the night we would hit a home run and we did. It was sort of like the episode of Sex and the City when Carrie and Berger did it for the first time. After though he sat up, asked for one of the chocolate chip cookies I made and had me sit in front of him and put his arms around me and pulled me close to him. It was a very good night despite the lil bit of awkwardness.

We had talked about possibly doing something last night but late in the afternoon he told me he had been sleeping in all day and wanted to relax before his two days of socializing. I was a lil upset because I was looking forward to seeing him but then he sent me a message saying some items from my Amazon wish list would be coming Monday. Who knows maybe he felt bad that he hadn’t gotten me anything yet and didn’t want to upset me. I am trying very hard to not look at what he bought me and patiently waiting for Monday to come.

Even though I am not doing anything today, my family will be calling me later while they celebrate the holiday at my older brother’s house. Since my little brother won’t be getting my nephew until later tonight they will be celebrating tomorrow with my parents and will be calling me and hopefully through Skype. I am also going to a friend’s house tomorrow for dinner. So I won’t be totally alone for the holiday. I am upset though that the Christmas Football game will be on the NFL Network and that CBS won’t be showing my Patriots game on Sunday.

It is almost that time of the year. The time of year when that most people look forward to and count down to. The one day of year that gets more publicity and ad time then any other. I’m not talking about Thanksgiving or Christmas. I’m talking about BLACK FRIDAY.

There are lots of people that look forward to Black Friday. They watch the ads that have been playing nonstop for the past week. They can’t wait until the stores have their Black Friday ads out.

Like the past few years, all of the Black Friday ads have been leaked onto the internet early. This year the ads got leaked sooner and the stores set up their Christmas displays earlier. All in hopes that it will stimulate sales and help their revenue.

This year stores are doing whatever they can to give the best deals and get as many shoppers to their doors as possible. Old Navy is opening their doors at 3am on Friday while others are opening up at 4am. Some are even going as far as opening on Thanksgiving and staying open for 24 hours. Wal-Mart is going as far as allowing customers to camp out next to the item they want to buy. There is going to be a long line in front of those few $128 flat screens they have.

I am not one of those people that will be camped out on Thanksgiving waiting for the stores to open. I will not be one of those people that they will interview on the nightly news in front of Best Buy.

I will instead be one of the people that will be taking advantage of Borders’ Wednesday sale and even possibly New York and Company’s online sale.

I will be that person sleeping in on Friday, getting rid of my Turkey coma. You can not pay me enough to camp out for 2 days just for a deal.

Christmas Night one of my good friends called me to let me know she just got engaged. I am very excited for her because the man who is now her fiance is very sweet and good to her.
It got me thinking though, in the past two years I have had 8 friends get married, two of which are expecting their first child, one friend move in with her boyfriend and two get engaged. I am happy for all of them because they are are my very close friends but it gets me thinking, when is it my turn. I have been out on dates, some good and some bad, but lately mostly bad. I put myself out there and it ends up not turning into anything. I don’t get down about it and go out when I can. Friends and my mom tell me that it will happen when it is supposed to. I keep the hope out there my friend is right, “You will be the next one to get married”